The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old

 

This book was on my nightstand for most of 2020. I would pick it up, read a few pages, and then put it down. I always forgot where I was. I finally decided I needed to finish this book.

The book is a diary (literally daily journal entries) written by "Hendrik Groen", who is a resident in a retirement home. His musings are about daily life in the retirement home. An odd book, but it works. It is humorous, very real, and at times dark. But Hendrik makes the best of it. It is a uniquely written perspective into life on that side of the fence. 

Worth sharing that this is based in the Netherlands and was translated, so there are elements of vocabulary and things that are not customary in the U.S., but it is still easy to follow.

"Hendrik Groen" is in quotes above because there is no author listed in the book. Is Hendrik a real person? Or is this a work of fiction? After some Google searches, it is a work of fiction written by Peter de Smet, who is a librarian near retirement who has never written a book before. Pretty cool.

My rating for The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old: 3 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. There is a follow up book, On the Bright Side, 85 Years Old.